Battle Creek man implicated in home invasions in several counties gets more prison time

A Battle Creek man, implicated in break-ins in several counties, was sentenced to prison Friday on weapons charges.

Keith Worthington, 32, was sentenced to 18 months to five years in prison when he appeared Friday before Calhoun County Circuit Judge Sarah Lincoln.

Keith Worthington(Photo: Trace Christenson/The Enquirer)

But Lincoln noted that her sentence is only a small part of the time Worthington will spend in prison. He is facing a minimum sentence of 14 years when he is sentenced in in Eaton County May 29 after he pleaded no contest to four counts of home invasion.

"It is unfortunate that you have come to this point in your life where you are going to spend a significant amount of time in prison," Lincoln said. "Much of it is related to substance abuse and some mental health issues that need to be addressed and hopefully some of that can be addressed in the Department of Corrections."

Worthington said he didn't have anything to say.

Worthington entered a no contest plea in February to being a felon in possession of a weapon after he was seen in May 2018 carrying a shotgun in Pennfield Township. He entered his plea before a trial was scheduled to begin.

He was wanted in several counties including Calhoun, Eaton and Barry as a suspect in a number of break-ins.

Calhoun County Sheriff Department deputies said he was seen by an off-duty officer carrying the shotgun but fled. Later he was located in a swamp near Bellevue and arrested.

In addition to the weapons charge in Calhoun County, Worthington was sentenced to two years to 15 years in Eaton County for resisting police stemming from that arrest and also is serving a sentence for a parole violation.

Lincoln told Worthington her sentence is concurrent with his present prison sentence but that the Eaton County Circuit Court Judge John Maurer may make his sentence consecutive on the home invasion conviction.